METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

Guided by the research questions, three main data collection techniques were used in this study, namely, semi-structured interviews, observations and document analysis. This section presents the instruments used, followed by a description of the process of data collection. Data collection is a series of interrelated activities aimed at gathering good information to answer emerging research questions (Creswell, 2007). For the purpose of this study interviews, observations as well document analysis used to collect data. These data collection methods are said to be generally favoured by researchers working within an interpretive paradigm.

102 4.6.1. Research instruments of data collection

There are three main tools of data collection. Set out below is a summary of how the interview schedule was used. This is followed by a description of observation and finally the document analysis.

4.6.1.1. Interviews

Mnatwana (2014:41) states that interviews can be described as a process of learning about people’s views and their lived experiences. The qualitative interview is a frequently used data collection method in qualitative research (Babbie and Mouton, 2001). Miller and Glassner (2011) describe interviewing as “a two-way conversation” with the purpose of obtaining rich descriptive data about how the participant perceives reality based on their beliefs, opinions, views and ideas. According to Patton (2002:305), the main purpose of interviewing is to enter into the participants’ perspective to find out how they interpret the issues under discussion. As the focus of the study is on the experiences of DBSTs, the interviews will allow participants to recall and reflect upon their emotions and thoughts. Thus, interviewing will be an appropriate and relevant technique for this study.

Merriam (2002:41) mentions that a semi-structured interview is where a researcher has one topic to explore, where the questions and their order are predetermined. The semi-structured interview contains a mix of more- or less-structured questions. The largest part of the interview is guided by a list of questions or issues to be explored, and neither the exact wording nor the order of questions is determined ahead of time. Data for the study was collected through semi-structured individual interviews and the use of an interview guide. This was identified as being one of the principal data collection methods in case study research.

The main questions as well as the issues to be explored were planned, but the wording and the order of questions were not prearranged. An interview guide that contained questions and important issues was developed to guide the interviews. The researcher conducted all the interviews in this study. To promote privacy, participants were

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interviewed at a mutually agreed upon time and location. Before commencing with the interviews, participants had to sign a letter of consent. Throughout the interviews, the researcher used verbal and non-verbal probes that focused on the participants’ experiences (Patton, 2002:305). The researcher clarified with participants any ambiguity in their description, so that they would be understood correctly. The interviews were conducted after working hours and the duration of the interviews ranged from 45 minutes to 60 minutes.

Interpretivist researchers reject the notion that there is only one truth and therefore employ the technique of in-depth interviewing to gain insight into many lived experiences (subjective truth) which people hold as their realities (Miller and Glassner, 2011). They approach the interview with research participants as partners participating in an active process of creating understanding (Fontana and Frey, 2008; Holstein and Gubriun, 2011:150). The interviews and analysis focused on the “meanings that people attribute to their experiences and social worlds” (Miller and Glassner, 2011:133).

The advantage of using interviews is that although a semi-structured interview guides the interview by providing broad discussion categories for the interaction between the researcher and the participant, it allows the researcher freedom to explain terms and adapt questions to suit individuals’ abilities and understanding (Maree, 2007:87). Furthermore, interviewing allows for the researcher to probe during questioning in order to obtain more details during the research process (Maree, 2007:87).

In-depth interviews use open response questions to obtain data on participants’ meanings, which is how individuals conceive their world and how they explain or make sense of the important events in their life. In-depth interviews are extensive, and allow for probing. In this study interviews allowed participants to discuss their experiences in the district support services and freely share their opinions regarding the implementation of SIAS policy in schools for the support of learners experiencing barriers to learning (McMillan and Schumacher, 2010).

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As per De Vos et al. (2006:299), the researcher acknowledges the limitations of the interviews, that they involve personal interaction and therefore cooperation between the researcher and the participants cannot be guaranteed. The researcher divided the interview schedule into three main sections. Section A covered the biographic characteristics of participants. The experience of participants over time were important as these enabled the researcher to link the information they gave to their experiences over time.

Section B sought a description from participants of their roles and approaches in supporting the implementation of SIAS in schools. It was important to understand how each official (DBST member) understood what his or her job is. Data here included information on the frequency of visits to schools, what they did once at school and how their support visits focused on SIAS implementation, their experiences and perceptions on effective SIAS implementation, and if they attained their desired outcomes. In this section the researcher wanted to discover what they do when they manage support in SIAS implementation in schools.

Section C focused on support and monitoring. The purpose was to understand how the DBST balance support and monitoring.

4.6.1.2. Observations

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary (2013), observation is the act of careful watching and listening, the activity of paying close attention to someone or something in order to gather information. The data collection strategy of observation was used to record how DBSTs conduct training in support of SBSTs and teachers to ensure that SIAS policy is being implemented in schools for the benefit of learners experiencing barriers to learning in the Zululand District. The researcher kept a record of the activities that took place in the training events of the teachers who were chosen for observation. The observation period lasted for a duration of one training session of approximately three hours. The strategy of observation complemented and supplemented the strategies of interviews and document analysis. The observation strategy was structured in terms of the interviews. This third data collection method of

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the three-pronged approach ensured that all the loose ends were tied up and that the data collected solidified the responses of the questionnaires and interviews (Erradu, 2012:57). This method of data collection also ensured that the research question and sub-questions were answered.

McMillan and Schumacher (2006:346) state that although researchers should adhere to the principle of non-interference, they need to be active in eliciting different views of events from different participants for the sake of accuracy and confirmation. Researchers can corroborate what participants actually do, and what they imply with non-verbal movements and body language. In this study, the researcher, as the interviewer, fulfilled the role of observer in order to assess the correlation between the participants’ verbal and non-verbal responses. Participant observation is defined as a combination of particular data collection strategies: limited participation, field observation, interviewing etc. (McMillan and Schumacher, 2006:346).

McMillan and Schumacher (2006:346) define field observation as the researcher’s technique of directly observing and recording without interaction. The researcher used participant observation where non-verbal movements were observed. The later was done without interaction with participants and also directed some of structured questions to participants. What is observed (seen and heard) is the researcher’s version of what is “there” (Henning, 2005:81). In general, observation implies seeing as well as observing with the other senses (Henning, 2005:82). Depending on the research question, observation may be brief and serve as a research tool for gathering information (Henning, 2005:82).

4.6.1.3. Document analysis

Documents are sources of quantitative information such as statistics but also qualitative information which is the explanation and analysis of the data they contain. Documents are referred to as “standardised artefacts, in so far as they typically occur in a particular format: as notes, case reports, contracts, drafts, death certificates, remarks, diaries statistics, annual reports, certificates, judgements, letters or expert opinions” (Bless and Smith, 2007). Some documents are personal and others are

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official. Henning et al. (2004:99) point that document analysis entails scrutiny of relevant documents, which can be a valuable source of information. In the current study scrutiny of documents gave the researcher an idea of the experiences of (challenges and successes) of DBSTs with regards to SIAS policy implementation. Document analysis included DBST trainings, intervention programmes, assessment tools, and monitoring tools, as well as SBST registers of learners experiencing barriers to learning, intervention reports, ISPs, and minutes books.

The researcher used the documents to verify the data which was collected through interviews and observations. A combination of procedures enabled the researcher to validate and crosscheck the findings, since each data source had its own strengths and weaknesses, the strength of one procedure compensating for the weakness of another (Patton 2002:306). In most cases, documents are not produced for the purposes of research. Patton (2002:307) notes that documentary analysis is the study of excerpts, quotations, or entire passages from organisational or clinical memoranda and correspondence, official publications and reports, personal diaries and open- ended written responses to questionnaires and surveys with the aim of collecting data.

The information they contain can be used for research and the researcher acquires knowledge by analysing them. In this study unsolicited documents, that is, support and monitoring tools of district officials (DBST) and principals (SBST chairpersons) were used. The purpose of analysing these documents is discussed in the data analysis section below.